Toni Sturdivant, Texas A&M University-Commerce When Mattel announced in January 2022 that it was releasing a new Barbie doll to honor Ida B. Wells – the famed 19th-century Black journalist and anti-lynching crusader – the company said the idea was to “inspire us to dream big.” However, while the doll may prove helpful to youngContinue reading “Barbie doll that honors Ida B. Wells faces an uphill battle against anti-Blackness”
Author Archives: youthforsdg
How a Black writer in 19th-century America used humor to combat white supremacy
Rodney Taylor, University of South Carolina Any writer has to struggle with the dilemma of staying true to their vision or giving editors and readers what they want. A number of factors might influence the latter: the market, trends and sensibilities. But in the decades after the Civil War, Black writers looking to faithfully depictContinue reading “How a Black writer in 19th-century America used humor to combat white supremacy”
How fast can we stop Earth from warming?
Richard B. (Ricky) Rood, University of Michigan Global warming doesn’t stop on a dime. If people everywhere stopped burning fossil fuels tomorrow, stored heat would still continue to warm the atmosphere. Picture how a radiator heats a home. Water is heated by a boiler, and the hot water circulates through pipes and radiators in theContinue reading “How fast can we stop Earth from warming?”
Electrifying homes to slow climate change: 4 essential reads
Jennifer Weeks, The Conversation The latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show that to avoid massive losses and damage from global warming, nations must act quickly to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The good news is that experts believe it’s possible to cut global greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 throughContinue reading “Electrifying homes to slow climate change: 4 essential reads”
5 ways college instructors can help students take care of their mental health
Max Coleman, Indiana University A few years ago, a student showed up in my class looking distraught. “I don’t think I can be in class today,” the student told me. No explanation, no elaboration. Yet I knew from our previous conversations that this student suffered from anxiety and that the previous few weeks had beenContinue reading “5 ways college instructors can help students take care of their mental health”
Shame and secrecy shroud culture of sexual assault in boys’ high school sports
Jamie L. Small, University of Dayton A coat hanger. A broomstick. A pool cue. All these objects were used in a series of sexual assaults in recent years in which the perpetrators allegedly targeted high school boys who play sports. The perpetrators always had easy access to their alleged victims. That’s because they were teammates.Continue reading “Shame and secrecy shroud culture of sexual assault in boys’ high school sports”
Transgender people of color face unique challenges as gender discrimination and racism intersect
Gabriel Lockett, University of Florida; Jules Sostre, University of Florida, and Roberto L. Abreu, University of Florida Throughout history, transgender people of color have had a place of honor in many indigenous cultures around the world. This changed in many places, however, as European colonizers began forcing indigenous people to follow white social norms. TheseContinue reading “Transgender people of color face unique challenges as gender discrimination and racism intersect”
The Losing Mongolian Language
Author: Guan Zhihan Having a population of 5.8 million, Mongols in China are the ninth largest ethnic minority groups, who are mainly distributed across Inner Mongolia. Though Mongolian Chinese were incorporated into China for centuries, they still feature a distinct and long-standing nomadic culture. However, these days, after a long period of living with HanContinue reading “The Losing Mongolian Language”
Even after lockdowns eased, pandemic depression persisted across social classes – new study
Catherine Ettman, Boston University and Sandro Galea, Boston University The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that more than 1 in 5 U.S. adults reported probable depression in both spring 2020 and spring 2021. We also found that financial assetsContinue reading “Even after lockdowns eased, pandemic depression persisted across social classes – new study”
Red gold: the rise and fall of West Africa’s palm oil empire
For thousands of years, the oil palm – indigenous to West Africa – has had an intimate relationship with people. An explosive expansion of oil palm groves throughout western and central Africa in the wake of a dry period around 2,500 years ago enabled human migration and agricultural development; in turn, humans facilitated oil palm propagation through seed dispersal and slash-and-burn agriculture.
Youth For SDG 